TORONTO — James Blake became the latest big-name player to lose at the Rogers Cup.

German Nicolas Kiefer ousted the seventh-seeded American 6-1, 6-2 at the tournament today to advance to the semifinals. Kiefer, ranked 37th in the world, will play Gilles Simon.

The 23-year-old Frenchman advanced with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Croatia's Marin Cilic.

Blake joined top seed Roger Federer, who lost to Simon, and Andy Roddick, who was beaten by Cilic, as high-profile players making early exits.

Simon, ranked 22nd in the world, has already beaten Federer, American qualifier Donald Young and Argentina's Jose Acasuso in the tournament.

The match between Simon and Cilic was far from a classic. The players combined for 104 unforced errors, including 64 by Cilic. The 19-year-old Cilic fired 37 winners, while Simon connected on just 15 — but that's his game. He kept the ball in play and waited for Cilic to make mistakes, which he frequently did.

The match didn't quite capture the imaginations of the center-court fans at the Rexall Centre, who were relatively quiet throughout.

"Let's go Federer," jeered one onlooker during the second set.

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal, third seed Novak Djokovic, eighth seed Andy Murray and 10th seed Richard Gasquet were scheduled to play later.

The 44th-ranked Cilic made a mark in the tournament, defeating the sixth-seeded Roddick, 12th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo and Czech qualifier Lukas Dlouhy in an impressive run to the quarterfinals.